Claude Monet: “Nymphéas (Water lilies)”
£31,722,500 / $54,071,001 / €39,681,643 at Sotheby’s
Kurt Schwitters: “Ja – Was? – Bild”
£13,970,500/$23,777,791/ €17,463,125 at Christie’s
Monet’s ‘Nymphéas’ sells for £31,7 million Sotheby’s London sale of Impressionist and Modern Art on June 23, 2014, achieved a total of £122 million, highlighted by Monet’s ‘Nymphéas’, which sold for £31,7 million. Christie’s auction totaled £85,8 million.]]>
June 25, 2014, source: Sotheby’s / Christie’s
Sotheby’s auction, June 23, 2014
The top lot of the evening was Claude Monet’s iconic “Nymphéas (Water lilies)” whichsold for £31,722,500 / $54,071,001 (est. £20-30m) – the second-highest price for a workby Monet sold at auction. Instantly recognisable and revered the world over, “Nymphéas” are among the most iconic and celebrated paintings of turn of thecentury. Another two exquisite paintings by Monet commanded strong prices: “Antibes, vue du plateau Notre Dame” sold for £7,922,500 /$13,503,901 (est. £6-8m) and “La Seine à Argenteuil” sold for £8,538,500 / $14,553,873(est. £7-10m)
Piet Mondrian’s quintessential masterpiece, Composition with Red, Blue and Grey from1927, which appeared tonight at auction for the first time, sold for £15,202,500 /$25,912,661 (est. £13-18m) – the second-highest price ever paid for a work by theartist at auction. Kept by Mondrian in his personal collection until his death in 1944, thisis one of very few major works by the artist to come to market in decades.
Wassily Kandinsky’s “Herbstlandshaft (Autumn Landscape)” sold for £5,570,500 / $9,494,917 (est. £3-5m). A bargain, considering that this painting was offered at Christie’s nine months ago with an estimate of $20-25 million. In addition, “Jeanne Pissarro (dite Minette) assise au jardin, Pontoise”, a marvelous painting by Camille Pissarro, failed to sell despite its conservative estimate of $1,5-2,5 million.
Christie’s auction, June 24, 2014
The Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale took place on the evening of 24 June at Christie’s London, realising £85,784,000/ $146,004,368/ €107,230,000 and selling 67% by lot and 71% by value. The top price was paid for “Ja – Was? – Bild (‘Yes-What?-Picture’)”, 1920, by Kurt Schwitters which sold for £13,970,500/$23,777,791/ €17,463,125 setting a new world record price for the artist at auction (estimate: £4-6 million). In total, 22 works of art sold for over £1 million / 32 for over $1 million.
“Femme de Venise II” by Alberto Giacometti, which was conceived in 1956 and cast in the artist’s lifetime, sold for £9,042,500/ $15,390,335/ €11,303,125 (estimate: £8-12 million). Offered from an Important Private Collection, it displays an extraordinary and rare golden patina, the present cast belongs to the renowned series of sculptures by Giacometti known as the “Femmes de Venise”, comprising nine individual but closely related figures cast in bronze, which played a significant role in establishing Giacometti’s fame and reputation as the most important sculptor of the Post-war era.
“L’artiste et le modèle nu”, 1921, by Henri Matisse realised £6,802,500/ $11,577,855/ €8,503,125 (estimate: £7-10 million). It shows one of the most celebrated subjects painted by Matisse: the artist and his model. “Kinderbild (Katze hinter einem Baum) (Children’s Picture (Cat behind a Tree)”, 1910-11, a very rare work by Franz Marc, sold for £6,242,500/ $10,624,735/ €7,803,125 (estimate: £5-7 million).
Related content
Monet’s ‘Nymphéas’ to lead Christie’s sale (news, October 2012)
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